One is hard pressed to find a Slurpee, Icee, Slush Puppie, what-have-you machine in the United States. I am not sure if this is attributable to simply being a regional difference here in the Midwest, or if it is more of a cultural difference between Canada and the United States. One thing is certain though, when you do come across an American Slurpee machine, there is much rejoicing, at least until you realize that there is a difference between an American Slurpee and a Canadian Slurpee.

The difference between Nuk and Yank Slurpees all comes down to the machine that makes them. Canadian stores buy their Slurpee machines from a company named Taylor; whereas, American stores purchase their machines from Cornelius. Cornelius machines inject added air into the icy goodness making for a lighter, drier, less satisfying drink. Perhaps this accounts for why four of the top five cities for highest Slurpee consumption are the Canadian cities of Winnipeg, Calgary, Regina, and Edmonton. Detroit is the lone American city on the list. According to Slurpee.com Winnipeg is the world's leader in most Slurpees consumed per capita.

So, you had a hard time finding a Slurpee machine in America huh? I guess that means you have not been here for too long, as there is one in pretty much every 7-11 that I have ever been in, unless they did in remodel in the last few days I don't know about!

In my neck of the woods, which is a relatively heavily populated area, there are no 7-Elevens. Even the 7-Eleven "store locator" will attest to this. I agree that this is odd, considering that you can usually find one on every street corner in Canada and some parts of the US.

Very few of the gas stations out here actually have “Slurpee” machines. Perhaps it is just that there is not enough demand to sustain the cost of the machine, but either way, you will be hard pressed to find an ice cold Slurpee on a hot summer's day.

In the end, I suppose that you could account this to being a regional difference, which is what I indicated in my original entry, rather than a massive 7-Eleven remodel within the last few days. ;o)